Method and device for protein fiber production

Abstract

A method for producing a protein polymer fiber, the method comprising providing a liquid protein solution in a container for liquid, and repeatedly moving the liquid surface in the container back and forth between a first and a second position. Said movement of the liquid surface is such that the protein polymer solution is allowed to form a film in the interface between the liquid surface of the liquid protein solution and a surrounding fluid. The movement of the liquid surface being performed by respectively raising and lowering the liquid surface relative to the container or by moving an object extending through the liquid surface of the liquid protein solution. Also, a device for performing said method.

Claims

1. A method for producing a protein polymer fiber, the method comprising: providing a liquid protein solution (7) in a container (2) for liquid, providing an adjacent fluid (12) interfacing the liquid surface (8) of the liquid protein solution (7), and repeatedly moving the liquid surface (8) in the container (2) between at least a first and a second position, wherein said movement of the liquid surface (8) is such that the protein polymer solution (7) forms a film in the interface between the liquid surface (8) of the liquid protein solution (7) and the adjacent fluid (12), characterized by the movement of the liquid surface (8) being performed by respectively raising and lowering the liquid surface (8) relative to the container (2) such that the film at the interface between the film and the container (2) is exerted to stress thereby forming a fiber, or by the movement of the liquid surface (8) being performed by providing an object (11) extending through the liquid surface (8) and moving the object (11) within the container (2) such that the film at the interface between the liquid, air and the object (11) itself, is exerted to stress thereby forming a fiber.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movement between the first and second positions is a back and forth movement between said positions.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the object (11) comprises a body with varying cross-sectional shape along a longitudinal axis of the object (11).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the object (11) is hollow and comprises an inlet and an outlet.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the object (11) is conical or frustoconical.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the object (11) is tapering along its longitudinal axis.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the direction of movement of the object (11) and the orientation of the object (11) is such that the shape of the interface between the object (11) and the film varies at different positions of the object.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the object (11) comprises a rotational movement of the object (11).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the raising and lowering of the liquid surface (8) is performed whilst keeping the liquid surface (8) horizontal.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said raising or lowering of the liquid surface (8) is made by variation of the volume of the container (2) below the liquid surface (8).

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the volume of the container (2) below the liquid surface (8) is varied by movement of a piston (4) within said volume.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said raising or lowering of the liquid surface (8) is made by variation of the volume of liquid in the container (2).

13. A device (1) for fiber production, said device comprising a container (2) for liquid and a first means (4) for raising and lowering the liquid surface (8) of a liquid (7) in the container (2) relative to the container (2), wherein said device (1) comprises a motor (13) configured to drive said first means to repeatedly raise and lower the liquid surface relative to the container according to the method defined in claim 1, such that the film at the interface between the liquid, air and the container itself, is exerted to stress, thereby forming a fiber.

14. A device for fiber production, said device comprising a container for holding a volume of liquid having a liquid surface, an object configured to extend through the liquid surface, and a motor (13) operatively connected to the object and configured to operate the object within the container according to the method as defined in claim 1, such that the film, at the interface between the liquid, air and the object itself, is exerted to stress, thereby forming a fiber.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the object comprises a body with varying cross-sectional shape along a longitudinal axis of the object.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the object is hollow and comprises an inlet and an outlet.

17. The device according to claim 16 wherein the object is conical, frustoconical or tapering along its longitudinal axis.

18. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first means comprises a piston configured to be movable within the container for varying its inner volume, wherein the portion of the container which defines the volume of the container below the liquid surface is cylindrical and wherein the piston is configured to seal against the inside of the cylindrical portion and be movable along the cylindrical portion for varying its inner volume.

19. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first means comprises a fluid port and a pump device for pumping liquid into and out of the port, thereby controlling the liquid level within the container.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent fluid (12) is one of: air and a suitable gas composition.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein variation of the volume of liquid in the container (2) is performed by one of: introduction and removal of liquid from below the liquid surface (8).

22. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first means (4) is further for raising and lowering the liquid surface (8) of a liquid (7) in the container (2) relative to the container (2) whilst keeping the liquid surface (8) substantially horizontal.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1a-f show schematically how stretched film gradually forms a fiber structure along the inside of the container wall.

(2) FIGS. 2a-e show schematically a cycle of moving the liquid surface in the container back and forth between a first (FIG. 2a) and a second position (FIG. 2c) by raising and lowering. The amount of deflection of the liquid surface is exaggerated for illustrative purposes.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a device for fiber production on the form of a syringe with cut-off barrel.

(4) FIGS. 4a-c show a background art device and method for producing a fiber structure. The device uses a wagging/rocking using of a tray/container creating a slushing sideways movement of the liquid polymer solution from side to side.

(5) FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a container and a frustoconical object to be repeatedly raised and lowered in the container.

(6) FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional schematic view from above of a cylindrical container and a cylindrical object to be repeatedly raised and lowered in the container.

(7) FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional schematic view from above of a rectangular container and an object comprising two rectangular plates to be repeatedly raised and lowered in the container.

(8) FIGS. 8-9 show a cross sectional schematic side view and top view respectively, of a container and a plate shaped object to be repeatedly moved sideways back and forth through the liquid surface in the container.

(9) FIG. 10 shows a cross sectional schematic view from above of a cylindrical container in which a cylindrical object is repeatedly moved sideways back and forth in different directions through the liquid surface in the container.

(10) TABLE-US-00001 1 device for fiber production 2 container for liquid 3 first means (for raising and lowering the liquid surface) 4 piston 5 portion of container defining volume below liquid surface 6 fiber/fiber structure 7 liquid protein solution 8 liquid surface 9 prior art container 10 prior art liquid surface 11 object (to be moved through liquid surface) 12 adjacent fluid 13 motor (optional)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) The invention will hereinafter be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may however be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the present aspects to the skilled person.

(12) A device 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3. The device 1 is suitable for fiber production and comprises a container 2 for liquid and a first means 3 for respectively raising and lowering the liquid surface of a liquid in the container 2 relative to the container 2 whilst keeping the liquid surface substantially horizontal. The first means 3 comprises a piston 4 configured to be movable within the container 2 for varying its 2 inner volume. The portion 5 of the container which defines the volume of the container 2 below the liquid surface is cylindrical and the piston 4 configured to seal against the inside of the cylindrical portion and be movable along the cylindrical portion. The container 2 is in this embodiment the barrel of a syringe and the piston 4 the plunger of the syringe. However, in other embodiments, the container 2 could be some other type of suitable container, such as a pipe or extruded profile or a plate with at least one hole drilled to form a space for containing a liquid. Also, the plunger could be replaced with any other type of piston adapted for working in the container. Alternatively, the piston could be exchanged for a resilient membrane allowing variation of the volume of the container by elastically deforming the membrane.

(13) The device 1 may be operated manually to form the fiber 6 (see FIGS. 1a-f). However, in an embodiment, the device 1 comprises a fixture (not shown in the figures) for attachment of the container/syringe and a drive means configured to automatically operate the piston or membrane 4.

(14) The drive means comprises an electric motor 13 and a power transmission means for converting the rotational movement of the electrical motor into movement of the piston 4 for controlling its position relative to the container 2. The power transmission means may be a power screw operatively connected to an operating arm attachable to the piston/plunger of the syringe. In other embodiments a hydraulic transmission may be used wherein a fluid is used for driving the piston or for deforming the membrane.

(15) In an alternative embodiment, the raising or lowering of the liquid surface is made by variation of the volume of liquid in the container 2 instead of varying the volume of the container 2 as described above. In this alternative embodiment (not shown in figures), the first means 3 comprises a fluid port and a pump device for pumping liquid into and out of the port, thereby controlling the liquid level within the container 2.

(16) The use of an electrical drive means tends to provide improved control of the fiber production and allows for continuous production. The use of pumping of liquid for controlling the liquid surface level of the container omits the need of a piston. Further, the container can be filled from below and thereafter the liquid surface can be moved using the same pump as used for filling the container. After the fiber is finished, the container can be emptied using the pump.

(17) In an embodiment, a system may be provided comprising several of the above-described devices using variation of liquid volume in the container. In the system multiple containers are connected to one pump. Such a system can control the liquid level of multiple containers simultaneously using only one pump, thereby reducing the complexity of the system and the power usage of the system. The use of a single pump also provides for more even pumping than using multiple pumps.

(18) The above described devices 1 are operated using the following method. First, a liquid protein solution 7 is provided in the container 2 for liquid. Thereafter, the liquid surface 8 in the container is repeatedly moved back and forth between a first (FIG. 2a) and a second (FIG. 2c) position. Said movement of the liquid surface is such that the protein polymer solution forms a film in the interface between the liquid surface of the liquid protein solution and a surrounding fluid. The movement of the liquid surface is performed by respectively raising and lowering the liquid surface relative to the container. Preferably whilst keeping the liquid surface substantially horizontal.

(19) By repeatedly moving the liquid protein solution back and forth between the first and second positions and moving its liquid surface such that the protein polymer solution forms a film, a fiber is gradually formed around the circumference of the liquid surface. The fiber typically sticks to the wall of the container rather than follow the liquid surface. The repeated movements of the liquid surface causes formation of cracks in the film and those cracks promote the formation of fibers. By performing the movement of the liquid surface by raising and lowering respectively the liquid surface relative to the container, the fiber forms uniformly thick around the circumference of the liquid surface, i.e. along the inside of the container wall. When raising and lowering the liquid surface, the liquid surface repeatedly stretches and contracts due to surface tension and adherence to the wall of the container. This tends to cause formation of folds and/or cracks of the film, which tend to lead to fiber structures moving outwards towards the wall of the container where they add to the fiber formed. The movement of the liquid surface such that the protein solution forms a film can be done in numerous movement patterns whilst achieving the film formation, depending on the circumstances, such as the surface tension, temperatures, viscosity etc. For example, such movement may be made at constant speed up and down. Also, the movement could be interrupted one or more times during a repetition, for example at an upper liquid surface position, a lower liquid surface position, or in-between. Further, the speed of movement of the liquid surface could be varied throughout the movement, wherein a slower movement typically promotes said film formation. Thus, at least a portion of said movement of the liquid surface may be performed slow enough or at long enough periods between repetitions for the protein polymer solution to form a film, thereby achieving said film formation.

(20) As an alternative to raising and lowering the liquid surface, the movement of the liquid surface may be performed by providing an object extending through the liquid surface and moving the object within the container such that the film at the interface between the film and the object is exerted to stress thereby forming a fiber. Here, the stress, for example caused by shear forces, expansion or compression forces in the film, leads to cracks in the film, which leads to formation of fibers around the object.

(21) In other words, a silk protein solution, such as a spider silk protein solution, diluted to its desired concentration, is transferred to a syringe which has had its top cut in order to create an open space (see FIG. 3). If a closed syringe was used the humidity at the liquid-air interface and the syringe wall would increase, resulting in less robust fiber formation. The syringe with the liquid protein solution is placed vertically oriented in a syringe pump. The pump is configured to create a vertical oscillatory motion of the syringe piston, and thereby also of the liquid solution. Once the solution has been placed in the syringe, protein start to gather at the liquid-air interface and after some time (typically minutes) a protein film will develop at the interface between liquid and air, similar to the skin formed on heated milk. It is from this protein film that the fibers will form. During the vertical oscillation, i.e. raising and lowering of the liquid surface relative to the container, the film that has formed at the interface will to some degree stick to the wall of the syringe, causing the film to extend during the downward portion of the oscillation. In the following upward motion, the film will therefore be compressed in relation to its extended state. If a thin film is compressed it will start to wrinkle, and if the compression is large enough some of these wrinkles will develop into folds. Wrinkles can be viewed under a microscope, while folds can be seen by the naked eye during experiments. At subsequent oscillations, the folds will become inherent weak points of the film, and the folds will continue to appear at approximately the same position. In experiments it is observed that as more and more oscillations occur, the folds will slowly move towards the wall of the syringe barrel, often in a non-symmetric fashion, i.e. the point from which the folds are moving out from is not the center of the film surface. Also, the location is not static from oscillation to oscillation or production batch to production batch. Continued oscillation leads to part of the film breaking of to form fibrils eventually gathering at the inside of the syringe barrel. These fibrils tend to get stuck on the wall at the liquid's maximum position. In some cases, the film can be seen to break in its interior when it is close to its lowest position, while the process continues the gap formed by this break will be healed by freshly formed film. However, more often these film breakups cannot be seen, and the folds are travelling towards the wall due to a non-homogeneous extension of the film. How the film breaks at the wall, and how this film extension looks like is still unknown and currently under investigation. As the process continues, more and more fibrils will gather on the wall at the maximum liquid level, these fibrils will together form the fiber structure. In the following table, some tested parameters are presented. These are for a syringe with an inner diameter of 12-14 mm and are not to be construed as limiting for the scope of the invention.

(22) TABLE-US-00002 Symbol Parameter Variation Δh Oscillating height 3, 7, 10 mm Δt Oscillating period 8, 14, 20 s T Temperature 21-26° C. RH Relative humidity 25-60% μ Viscosity ρ Surface Tension c Protein concentration 0.1-1 mg/mL A Area of container 120-201 mm.sup.2 V Volume of solution 1-1.5 mL Protein QG, FN Buffer Tris, DMEM, PBS

(23) However, the suitable speed and oscillating period should be adapted to the other parameters. If a polymer solution forms film faster, a shorter interval can be used and vice versa.

(24) FIGS. 1a-f schematically show how the polymer film at the surface of the liquid polymer solution stretches, folds, and cracks, where after material is gradually moved towards the inside of the wall of the container and accumulates along the inside of the wall of the container to form a fiber structure.

(25) It should be understood that FIGS. 1a-f show cut-away views of the container in cross-section with only one wall portion of the container shown. Hence, the gradual movement of cracks and fibrils/fibers is illustrated by the folds/fibrils/fibers moving from the right in each respective figure, towards the left of the figure, i.e. towards the inside of the wall of the container, as indicated by the straight arrows.

(26) In FIG. 1a, the film is formed but not stretched. In FIG. 1b, the film has been stretched—as schematically illustrated by the ‘wave shape’. However, the real film is not wave shaped, but stretched substantially horizontally such as bulging. FIG. 1c illustrates that excess film folds over. FIG. 1d illustrates that the folded over film eventually cracks. FIG. 1e shows that a fibril or piece of loose film material of a fold has moved outwards to the inside of the wall of the container whilst another fold has been created further into the container, i.e. further to the right in the figure. FIG. 1f similarly shows that even more fibrils or pieces of film material have accumulated along the inside of the wall of the container.

(27) FIGS. 2a-e show schematically a cycle of movement of the liquid surface performed by respectively raising and lowering (raised in FIG. 2a, lowered in FIG. 2c and again raised in FIG. 2e) the liquid surface relative to the container whilst keeping the liquid surface substantially horizontal. Substantially horizontal does not mean that the surface is planar but implies that the surface is not forming substantial or breaking waves within the container. However, the surface is still to be considered horizontal despite some bulging of the surface up and down caused by surface tension and adherence to the container walls.

(28) In all above-mentioned embodiments of the invention, sensitive molecules and cells may be incorporated into the liquid protein solution without being damages during production of the fiber structure. The inventive method uses no chemicals or strong electric field harmful for such sensitive molecules and cells and can therefore be used to produce fiber structures containing such sensitive molecules and cells.

ITEMIZED LIST OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

(29) I. Method for producing a protein polymer fiber, the method comprising:

(30) providing a liquid protein solution in a container for liquid, and

(31) repeatedly moving the liquid surface in the container back and forth between a first and a second position,

(32) wherein said movement of the liquid surface is such that the protein polymer solution forms a film in the interface between the liquid surface of the liquid protein solution and a surrounding fluid,

(33) characterized by

(34) the movement of the liquid surface being performed by respectively raising and lowering the liquid surface relative to the container.

(35) II. Method according to embodiment I, wherein the raising and lowering of the liquid surface is performed whilst keeping the liquid surface substantially horizontal.

(36) III. Method according to any one of embodiments I-II, wherein said raising or lowering of the liquid surface is made by variation of the volume of the container below the liquid surface.

(37) IV. Method according to embodiment III, wherein the volume of the container below the liquid surface is varied by movement of a piston within said volume.

(38) V. A method according to any one of embodiments I-II, wherein said raising or lowering of the liquid surface is made by variation of the volume of liquid in the container, for example by respective introduction or removal of liquid from below the liquid surface.

(39) VI. Device for fiber production, said device comprising a container for liquid and a first means for raising and lowering the liquid surface of a liquid in the container relative to the container whilst preferably keeping the liquid surface substantially horizontal,

(40) wherein said device is configured to operate according to the method of any one of embodiments I-V.

(41) VII. Device according to embodiment VI, wherein the first means comprises a piston configured to be movable within the container for varying its inner volume.

(42) VIII. Device according to embodiment VII, wherein the portion of the container which defines the volume of the container below the liquid surface is cylindrical and wherein the piston is configured to seal against the inside of the cylindrical portion and be movable along the cylindrical portion for varying its inner volume.

(43) IX. Device according to embodiment VIII, wherein the container is the barrel of a syringe and wherein the piston is the plunger of the syringe.

(44) X. Device according to any one of claims embodiments VIII-IX, further comprising a fixture for attachment of the container and a drive means configured to automatically operate the piston.

(45) XI. Device according embodiment X, wherein the drive means comprises an electric motor and a power transmission means for converting the rotational movement of the electrical motor into movement of the piston for controlling its position relative to the container.

(46) XII. Device according to embodiment VI dependent on embodiment V, wherein the first means comprises a fluid port and a pump device for pumping liquid into and out of the port, thereby controlling the liquid level within the container.

(47) XIII. System comprising several devices according to embodiment XII, wherein multiple containers are connected to one pump.

(48) XIV. Use of a device according to any one of embodiments VI-XII or a system according to embodiment XIII for producing a protein polymer fiber.